• May. 2, 2007
Laundry Day

While I do miss my dryer back home, there is something so peaceful about a clean line of laundry drying itself in the afternoon sun.  To my great surprise, I actually rather enjoy hanging out the laundry.  Lots of birds to listen to, the sunshine, a garden to enjoy looking at, and the fresh scent of clean clothes.  Aaaahhh!

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• Mar. 13, 2007
Making Dinner

Well, tonight I'm officially making our first homecooked meal since we arrived.  We've eaten out a lot, and when eating at home, it's generally been pizza or sandwiches.  I finally found a market only a few blocks away that is more what I'm used to, instead of the Metro Tesco on the first floor here., which is really more like a quick-stop convenience store.  This market ,Somerfields, has a butcher and fresh baked goods.  There's also a large produce department and lots of aisles. 

So, my hubby is craving a homecooked meal, and wouldn't you know it, the recipe cards and books are in the boxes that will not arrive until we're at our "permanent" residence.  So, I could use my brain and go with something that I know by heart.  But, lately, counting on my brain to remember details is not such a reliable idea!  So, what to do?  Then, I remembered my favorite website for recipes and meal planning -- menus4moms.com. (Sorry, I tried to do a link, but I can't get them work lately!)  You do know about this site, don't you?

I used menus4moms a lot before we got this life-changing, schedule-altering, crazy idea to move overseas, (which would be before December).  Until then, I was using this great website regularly, planning my meals, banking up frozen foods to help me prepare, and saving money with the great grocery lists they provide.  Now, let me tell you that those frozen meals or frozen pre-prepared ingredients for meals came in so handy when we were going through craziness with Christmas and then the move here.

Alas, here with a freezer the size of, well, a small cooler, (no joke!) I can' t bank up many frozen things, but the recipes are going to come in handy for this recipe-less girl in a new country.  Tonight I'm making the Cheddar Chicken Spaghetti from this week's Monday menu.  And although I've never made it before, it looks yummy!  Plus, bonus...I actually have the recipe, which is more than I can say for other recipes, including family favorites, right now!  But we've been over that, haven't we?

Anyway, that's my hearty endorsement for menus4moms.  And my confession that I haven't been cooking.  And my commitment to start again.  McDonald's is getting old!

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• Dec. 7, 2006
Yummy Muffin Recipe

I got this recipe recently from the back of my Pillsbury flour bag.  It's for some yummy peanut butter and jelly muffins.  So we mixed up a batch today, using some of my mom's world famous homemade black raspberry jelly.  We put them in Christmas muffin papers and sprinkled them with red and green sugars so they look extra festive.  I'm planning to give some to our neighbors for Christmas.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

2 c flour

1 T baking powder

11/2 t salt

1 c milk

2 large eggs

2/3 c sugar

1 c peanut butter

1/3 c vegetable oil

1/2 c jelly

1/4 c sugar for topping (We used Christmas sugars)

Heat oven to 375.  Spray muffin tins (or use muffin liners).  Stir together flour, salt and baking powder in a large bowl.  Add milk, eggs, sugar, peanut butter and oil.  Combine with mixer on low until moist.  Do not overbeat! 

Fill muffin cups 1/2 full with batter.  Add 2 t jelly to each cup.  Top with remaining batter.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Bake 18 to 20 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes in pan.  Makes 12.

The little people will be sampling them for afternoon snack.  Mom has already sampled one.  They're yummy!

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• Oct. 23, 2006
Menu-Planning Help for Moms

Have you seen this great site...Menus4Moms?  I absolutely LOVE it!  It is really helping me get my menu organization and planning together.  Each week there is a new free menu all planned out for you.  There is also a prepared shopping list which is extra helpful for less-than-organized gals like me.  One of the focuses of the site is using leftovers wisely and stocking the freezer.  Another thing I love about it is it is run by a homeschooling mom.  The menus are simple, yet relatively healthy (you can substitute healthier if you want to).  They are also realistic.  No talapia in peanut sauce on this site!  Don't you get tired of those strange recipes from cooking shows and cookbooks!?  Well, these recipes are really practical and delicious.  Yesterday we made the pot roast with vegetables (from last week's menu) and were very pleased with it.  Go ahead!  Go there!  I know you'll love it!

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• Oct. 5, 2006
A favorite (easy) recipe

I thought I'd mix things up a little, so as not to bore anyone with another predictable "here is what my children are doing" entry.  So, here is one of our family's favorite recipes.  My dear friend Amber used to make this for my husband and me when we were childless and had lots of time for sitting, eating and chatting about things like worldviews, politics, and career -- seems like forever ago.  It's simple and delicious.  I like to make it low(er) fat by using Laura's lean ground beef, fat-free cream of mushroom soup, and low-fat cheese

Cherokee Casserole

one pound of ground beef

1 small onion

2 cans of diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 cup of uncooked minute rice

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 teaspoon of thyme

1 teaspoon of oregano

2 bay leaves

dash of pepper

6-8 american cheese slices

Brown ground beef and onion.  When beef is browned, add all other ingredients except cheese.  Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.  Cover.  Let simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and it's no longer watery.  Remove bay leaves.  Add cheese slices to the top until melted.  Enjoy.

My kiddos love this by the way.  I think it's all the cheese!  One thing I love about it is, I've usually got all these ingredients on hand, so it's easy to make one evening when I'm not quite sure what we're going to have for supper.  I'm sure that doesn't happen to any of you very organized ladies, but it does happen around here occasionally!    Another thing I love about it is, every time I make it I think of my friend Amber because she is now dancing with the Father, and I miss her so.  I always remind my children that this was "Aunt Amber's" recipe.  It's definitely one of our comfort food recipes.

Let me know if you try it and tell me what you think. 

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• Jun. 21, 2006
Laundry Update

A few weeks back I posted a woeful plea for help regarding the seemingly unrelenting pile of laundry at our house.  A few comments were helpful and Stacy at Reforming Motherhood ended up posting a great response on her blog. Thanks for all your help and support.

I'm happy to report that I seem to have found a system that is working for my family and me!  I am finally caught up on my laundry.  And because I am caught up, the piles are so much smaller and less intimidating.  I'm also better able to keep up on laundering sheets, blankets, etc.

My system is so simple, I'm almost embarassed I had never thought of it before.  Before I had three children, I used to do laundry all on Monday.  Somehow, the addition of one more child threw my system off.  I could never get it all done on Monday.  Probably because Monday is also my most heavy duty cleaning day as well.  Truth be told, I want to get everything done on Monday so that I'll never have to do it again for another week.  But we all know better than that, now don't we?!

So, instead of trying to get all laundry done on Monday, I am now doing laundry on Monday and Tuesday.  I got some great advice to keep the children's laundry seperate from ours.  That was brilliant.  No little socks and underwear mixed in with ours makes for so much more efficiency.  Again, very simple, but so helpful!

I wash all the grown up clothes on Monday, including our bedding.  I usually have about 4 loads (including bedding).  I wash, dry, fold, and put away all of it by Monday evening.  I repeat the process again on Tuesdays for my children's clothes and their bedding.  It's been working like a charm.   And the best part is, I don't have to worry about laundry again for nearly another week (if there's no vomit, bedwetting or other laundry emergency!;).

I wanted to share that there is hope for all of you out there with a huge laundry pile and a less than hopeful attitude that it can ever be remedied.  I am so happy with my new system.  Thanks to those of you who encouraged and gave advice!

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• May. 30, 2006
Laundry Woes

I am forever trying to find a good system for keeping up with laundry.  I used to keep up with it rather well, until the third child came along.  Laundry, it seems, increases exponentially.  I used to be able to get all of our laundry done in one day.  Another thing that has worked for me in the past is doing one load per day.  For some reason, since baby 3 came along (15 months ago, mind you!), neither of my former systems have worked for me.  Just following the baby around keeps me quite busy all day long, thank you.

For one thing, DD15 mos. is forever undoing what I have just done.  Also, the other chores around the house seem to distract me.  Not to say anything of  the need  to keep everyone well-fed and clean.  Did I mention that DD3 wears about 4 outfits per day if I'm not paying attention?  Help!

I am lamenting in hopes that someone will tell me of some great miracle system that revolutionized their family.  I am aware of so many families, especially in homeschooling circles, that have many more than three children.  I am certain that laundry is much more difficult for those of you with more than three children, but am willing to take the chance of sounding like a whiner in order to get some feedback and help if possible. 

So, what works for you?  Are you willing to help me out?  Comments appreciated!

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